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Google's search for interns finds campus IST student

Steve Harmic

April 5, 2013

Google's search for interns finds campus IST student

Internet search engine Google helps millions of people find what they're looking for every day. However, the Web giant conducted its own search recently, to find the very best interns for their summer internship program. One of the top hits on Google's search has a direct link to Penn State DuBois; it's the campus' own information science and technology (IST) student Jessica Noland, who will begin an internship with Google at the company's Pittsburgh location in May.

"They actually found me," Noland said. The IST program junior from DuBois recalled that a recruiter from Google contacted her about the internship program after finding her personal profile on the popular online professional networking site LinkedIn. She said, "They found my profile, and asked me to apply for the internship." She noted that an interview process followed before she was offered the internship. Noland confides that she has put substantial effort into her résumé and online profile, which likely attracted the attention of those at Google.

During Noland's 12-week internship, she will work in Google's internal information technology department, assisting Google employees with computer operation and troubleshooting. It's the first time the company has offered an internship in this particular area. At the end of May, Noland will fly to the main headquarters, known as the Googleplex in Mountain View, Calif., for a week of training. Then, she'll return to Pennsylvania and serve out the internship in Google's Pittsburgh offices. Located in the city's Bakery Square, the Google office is housed in a renovated Nabisco factory, and boasts such morale-boosting features as a replica of a rollercoaster car from Pittsburgh area amusement park Kennywood.

"I don't even know that I can put it into words," Noland said of the excitement she feels over the opportunity to be a Google intern. "When I first came to college to major in IST, it's because I wanted to work for Google. So, to be doing this now is unbelievable."

Jason Long, the senior instructor and program leader for IST at Penn State DuBois said it's not so unbelievable for a student who possesses the skills and enthusiasm he has seen Noland exhibit. Though, this makes it no less exciting.

"Where Jess is now speaks for itself. Getting an internship at Google is momentous," Long said. "I am very proud that she got this opportunity. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for any IST student, and she definitely deserves it."

Noland is also no stranger to exceptional internship opportunities. Last summer she interned in Englewood, Colo., with EchoStar, a company that designs and produces set-top television boxes for Dish Network. She also continues to work locally in IT support for Magnus Marketing, a private consulting business.

With an already Google-worthy résumé in hand, Noland is excited about the future, but remains open about where that future may lead.

"I don't know where it leads from here," Noland said. "I'll come back in the fall and finish my degree. After that, nothing is off the table.

As a budding professional who was just recruited as an intern for one of the world's largest technology-based companies, Noland also offers advice for others just embarking on their careers. She said, "You want a strong résumé. You want it to clearly tell what you've done, what you're doing, what you can do, and what your goals are. Then, you have to get it out there."